


The Avengers on Body Positivity

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Series: Peter's YouTube Channel [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anxiety, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Deaf Clint Barton, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, YouTube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 00:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19051591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: The Avengers make a video talking about their disabilities and mental illnesses.





	The Avengers on Body Positivity

**Author's Note:**

> LOVES! Thank you so much for reading this! This is based on a text post I saw a while so if you know the creator of the post please let me know.
> 
> Tumblr- romeoandjulietyouwish

The video starts with Peter, Tony, Bruce, Thor, Clint, Natasha, Steve, and Bucky standing with their arms around each other, smiling. The background is white and the light seems to come from every direction. They all grin at each other and laugh. 

The screen flashes to black with white text. It reads: The Avengers on Body Positivity

The screen cuts to Tony standing alone with his shirt off displaying his arc reactor. Scars spread from the reactor and across his chest. His arms and torso are littered with white scars

Tony smiles, "Hello, I'm Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man."

Harley’s voice comes from behind the camera, “Can you talk a bit about your scars?”

Tony smiles, “Sure thing.” He looks back at the camera and takes a deep breath, “About nine or ten years ago I was nearly killed by weapons that I created. A man I barely knew saved me and I stopped creating weapons.” Tony smiles sadly, “This,” he taps the reactor, “made me who I am today.” Tony nods, “It was hard at first to come to terms with the fact that I need to rely on it to live, but having such a supportive and loving family to help me through it.” Tony looked expectantly at Harley behind the camera.

“Do you find it hard to show people the scars?” Harley asks. 

Tony nods, “Yeah, um, it was harder at the beginning, but it’s got better since then. I guess the worst thing is just comparing my body and my trauma to everyone else's. I struggled for a long time with thinking I didn’t deserve to grieve the deaths of my parents or anyone who died because of me. And that just because other people had worse trauma didn’t invalidate mine. But, it got better.” Tony smiles. 

“How?” Harley asks. 

Tony thinks for a moment, “My support system. When I got back from Afghanistan, Pepper and Happy were the only ones I had.” He shrugs, “They helped me through it and then I got even more people.” He grins, “I have a kid now and a whole team who loves me just for me. And I know that I can always rely on them.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Harley says. Tony smiles. 

The shot cuts to Clint standing in Tony’s place. He waves at the camera with a goofy grin. Clint reaches up and takes off his hearing aids, handing them to someone off camera. 

Clint begins to sign to the camera, black subtitles translating, “Hello! My name is Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye.”

“How did you lose your hearing?” Harley asks from behind the camera. 

“I was born deaf,” Clint signs. “My parents were very supportive and they learned sign language along with me. When I met Natasha, she was the first person I met that knew sign language.” Clint smiles. 

“Has being deaf made your life more complicated?” Harley asks. 

Clint laughs, “Of course it has you dumb[bleep], I can’t [bleep]ing hear!” Clint chuckles and the room fills with laughter from behind the camera. “But, yeah, being deaf has made my life so hard. I can’t communicate over comms, which is how our team communicates during missions. I need to rely on hearing aids and other people to understand what’s happening around me. It’s hard missing out on things.” 

“Could you give an example?” Harley asks softly. 

Clint nods, “My kids. I want to hear their voices and my wife singing them to sleep.” Clint’s eyes are misty, he takes a slow breath, “I want to hear what laughing sounds like.” Clint’s eyes are watery. 

“Can I give you a hug?” Natasha asks from offscreen. Clint nods. Natasha walks into frame with her back to the camera. She engulfs Clint in a hug. The camera can see Clint’s face over her shoulder. A tear falls out of his eye as he squeezes them shut. But he smiles. Natasha pulls away and kisses the top of his head. 

As she walks off screen, Harley says, “Are you okay to continue?” Clint nods. “Do you wish that life was easier for deaf people?” 

Clint nods, “Definitely. I’m lucky to be in the place I’m in and have the support that I have, but I know a lot of people don’t have that. I wish that people were more accommodating and that they could really understand what we have to go through every day.” Clint sighs, “I’m so thankful for the opportunities that I have been given and I never thought that I would get to the place I am when I was little.” 

“Thank you, Clint,” Harley says. Clint waves and it cuts to Bruce. 

Bruce stands in front of the camera wearing a large sweater. His hair is askew and he isn’t looking at the camera. He fiddles with the edge of his sleeves, a nervous habit he picked up from Peter. 

“You okay to do this?” Harley asks sympathetically. 

Bruce nods, “Yeah, yeah, let’s do it.” It cuts to Bruce looking at the camera with a small smile, “Um, I’m Bruce Banner, more commonly known as the Hulk.” He reaches down and pulls his sweater off. His body is covered with small white scars, self-harm scars. The scars cover his stomach, arms, and most of his torso. Bruce looks down at his feet. 

“You okay?” Peter asks from behind the camera. Bruce nods. 

“Okay,” Harley says, “can you tell me about your scars?”

Bruce nods, “Um, when I first became the Hulk, I thought that he was a monster. I tried to kill myself over and over again, but he never let me.” Bruce pauses, “When I finally figured out that he didn’t want me to die, I settled on hurting myself anyway that I could. I hoped that he would eventually let me die, that he would get fed up with me. But he never did.” Bruce looks up and takes a slow breath. He looks at Harley, “Can Tony stand with me?” 

“Of course,” Harley says. Tony walks out from behind the camera and stands next to Bruce. Tony takes Bruce’s hand and whispers something to him that the camera can’t pick up. Bruce nods and Tony moves his arm to be around Bruce’s shoulders. He nods to Harley. 

“Did you get better?” Harley asks Bruce. 

Bruce nods, “Yeah. I did. I got help, I went to therapy, and I got better. But it wasn’t immediately, it took years and a lot of work, but I did it.” Tony rubs his shoulder, “I still have bad days sometimes, but I know that my family will be there for me at the end of the day.”

“How do you get through bad days?” Harley asks. 

“I find him,” Bruce says poking Tony’s shoulder. Tony smiles at Bruce. “He’s good at calming me down and helping me through it. Other than that: good music and mint ice cream.” Tony laughs and Bruce joins in.

“Do you think that you are treated differently because of your scars?” Harley asks. 

Bruce sighs and nods, “Yeah, definitely. I wish I wasn’t, but that’s just how it is.” Tony rubs Bruce’s arm. “I don’t want people to pretend to know everything about me based on the scars and I don’t want their pity.” Bruce shrugs, “That’s why I wear long sleeves and baggy clothes. I’m just not comfortable in my own body.” 

“Thank you, Bruce,” Harley says. Tony and Bruce hug tightly, exchanging words too quiet to hear.

It cuts to Bucky. He stands in front of the camera wearing a tank top, his metal arm on full display. His hair is braided back. 

Bucky reaches over and detaches his metal arm. He hands it to someone off camera and turns to the camera, “Hi, I’m Bucky and I am also known as the Winter Soldier and the White Wolf.” Bucky gives the camera a small smile. 

“Can you tell me about your arm?” Harley asks. 

Bucky smiles, “I don’t have one.” Laughter erupts from behind the camera. “Sorry, um, I lost my arm a couple of years back and then I got that metal one. Peter and Tony made it for me.”

“How has missing an arm made your life hard?” Harley asks. 

Bucky shrugs, “Apart from the obvious? I hate having to ask for help. I don’t like being helpless and relying on other people. There are so many times when I need help doing things I should be able to do.”

Harley asks, “Do you think that people look at you differently because of your arm?”

Bucky scoffs, “Duh. I mean, I get it. It’s strange not to have two arms and I know that. But, it’s hard walking down the street and having people looking at you and scrutinizing you because you’re different.”

“Thank you, Bucky,” Harley says.

It cuts and Steve is standing his place. Steve’s shirt is off and his chest is visible. His torso is lined with stretch marks.

“Hi, I’m Steve Rogers and I am also known as Captain America.” Steve smiles.

“Can you talk about your life before you became Captain America?” Harley asks. 

“Sure,” Steve says. “Before the war-” He laughs at himself, shaking his head, “Sorry, I just sound so old.” He smiles, “Anyway, um, before I became Captain America, I was really sick. I had asthma and I was constantly in pain. As Bucky can attest, I was bullied relentlessly. But I didn’t let that stop me.” He sighs, “I, um, God this is really bad, but I tried forged my way into the army.” Laughter sputters out from behind the camera. Steve sighs. “Then I joined the super soldier program and became the Captain.”

“Tell me a bit about your stretch marks,” Harley says. 

“Before I became the Captain, I was about a foot and a half shorter and at least a hundred pounds lighter. The transformation took an enormous toll on my body and I was left with all of these.” He traces his fingers along the ones at his hips. 

“Do you mind them?” Harley asks. 

Steve sighs, “Not so much anymore. Before I was frozen I hated them, they reminded me of my life before the Captain. But as I got older, I realized that they didn’t make me any less of who I am today.”

“Do you think that people treat you differently because of them?”

Steve sighs, “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t like showing people because I don’t want to change the way they see me. When people think of the Captain, they think of someone who’s strong and invincible. I feel like my stretch marks show people that I’m not invincible.” 

“Do you wish you were proud of them?”

Steve nods, “Of course. I wish I had no problem with them and I wish that I could confidently show people and tell them that it’s okay to have stretch marks.” He sighs, “And I know that it’s okay, but it just doesn’t feel like that.” 

“Thank you, Steve,” Harley says.

It cuts and Peter now stands in front of the camera. He takes a deep breath and smiles at the camera, “Hey everyone, I’m Peter Parker aka Spiderman.” He waves at the camera and looked expectantly at Harley. 

“Okay, Peter, you ready?” Harley asks. Peter nods. “Okay, can you tell me a bit about your anxiety?” 

Peter nods again, “So, um, for as long as I can remember I’ve had anxiety. It used to be separation anxiety, but as I got older it became social anxiety.” He nods slightly as if thinking over what to say next, “I get panic attacks a lot and I suffer from PTSD. A lot of members on our team do, but I think I have some of the worst because I’m so much younger than them.” He fiddles with this hands. 

“Can you talk about your panic attacks?”

“Um, they started when I was about eleven or twelve. Right after my uncle died I had my first panic attack and since then I’ve gotten them about twice a month.” Peter sighs, “When I was fourteen I was having them every couple of days. That’s when I finally told someone and started getting help.”

“What is the best way to help you with panic attacks and anxiety?” Harley asks. 

“Breathing,” Peter says instantly. “Having someone breathing with me and helping me along works the fastest. It also helps to close off my senses and just to focus on one.” He picks at his sleeves. “After I have a panic attack I like someone to stay with me so that I know that if I start to panic again they’ll be there.” Peter smiles slightly, “But, um, I always end up falling asleep on them because panic attacks take up a lot of my energy.”

“Do you find anxiety and PTSD hard to deal with?” 

Peter nods, “Yeah. I have nightmares almost every night and I get anxiety so easily that it’s hard to live sometimes.” Peter takes a shaky breath, “PTSD is worse though. It’s so hard to get through and I never get a break.” Peter takes a slow breath, “Can you give me a moment?” Peter closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. He tries to control his breathing. Harley comes out from behind the camera and walks towards Peter. Harley gently touches Peter’s shoulder and then pulls him closer to him. As Harley begins to help Peter, it cuts. 

When it cuts back, Tony and Harley are now standing on either side of Peter, “Alright,” Natasha says from behind the camera. “Peter, has you PTSD and anxiety got better?” 

Peter nods, “Yeah, since I moved in with Tony and I met Harley and I now have a family bigger than I could have ever imagined. I have an amazing support system and some many people that are available 24/7 when I need them.” Peter leans closer to Tony as he kisses the top of his head. 

“Do you think that society has negative views or biases against people with anxiety?” Natasha asks.

Peter sighs, “Yeah. I think that people have put a stigma on anxiety, saying they’re making it up. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I’m pretending to have anxiety just to be relatable and to ‘fit in’. I want anyone watching this to know that they are valid and their mental illness is valid too.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Natasha says. Peter smiles. Harley leans over and kisses his cheek.

It cuts and everyone is now in front of the camera. They all have their arms around each other and are smiling widely. Tony says, “I would like to thank you all for watching this. We are doing this to show you that not even the Avengers are perfect. We are so lucky that we all have each other and that we will all have each other’s backs. But we know that a lot of you probably don’t.” Tony smiles, “In the description of this video, you’ll find links to shelters and hotlines that you can go to or call in you need help.” 

It cuts quickly to each of the Avengers in the video. All of them are smiling at the camera. In Bruce and Peter’s they both have tears in their eyes but are smiling nonetheless. 

...

Tyson092487  
Brb i’m crying

Tonystarkisagod  
They are all so sweet and deserve the world

U93  
Thank you so much. I really needed this today. 

Goldmoon  
It’s nice to know that they suffer from the same things we do. Idk why but it’s nice

Holdmybeer7845  
I just want to hug them all <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know of any inaccuracies.


End file.
